About the website
Why this website is designed this way
You should be able to concentrate on the ideas without having to work out how to read the page. Thinking About Policing combines a magazine layout with simple controls that let you change how it looks.
No account needed. Your choices are saved in this browser on this device, where browser storage is available.
A personal reason
I have ADHD. That is part of this website’s design.
I have been diagnosed with ADHD, and I am happy to talk about it here. It is part of why accessibility is a priority for Thinking About Policing. I want readers to be able to adjust the page rather than struggle with a presentation that does not work for them.
My diagnosis does not tell me what every other reader needs. People with ADHD, autism, dyslexia and other forms of neurodivergence have different preferences. A layout that helps one person can get in another person’s way. That is why these are individual choices, available to everyone, rather than a single “neurodivergent mode”.
The Home Office’s accessibility design guidance makes a similar point: design advice can conflict across needs, so it should inform testing with users rather than become a rigid formula.
A magazine you can find your way around
The current homepage uses three article layouts: a large lead image with the headline below, pairs of image-led articles, and compact rows with the image beside the text. Headlines, short descriptions, topics and publication dates help you decide what to open. White reading surfaces, pale blue and cream sections, and restrained blue accents connect this page with the rest of TAP.
The Menu at the top right brings together search, sections, topics, the Research Assistant and the Innovation Forum. The bottom bar keeps Home, Reading & display and Profile within reach. Saved articles and CPD remain available through the website menu and your member account.
The homepage is a selection. Section pages and All articles provide routes into the wider collection. “In the news” identifies reporting from other publishers and links to the original source.
Change what makes reading easier for you
Choose Reading & display in the centre of the bottom bar. The menu changes as you choose, so you can see the effect before returning to your reading. You can return to the starting settings with “Put everything back”.
- Text size
- Choose smaller words, the usual size or larger words.
- Space between words and lines
- Give the reading text more room.
- Width of the text
- Use narrower article lines.
- Page colours
- Use a light or dark background, or match your device.
- Movement on the page
- Turn off decorative animations and smooth scrolling. Reduced movement on your device is also respected.
- A simpler page
- Simplify the layout, hide extra promotions and reduce movement. Article text, sources and menus remain available.
These controls are optional. The ordinary page should still work with a keyboard, screen reader and browser zoom. Reading preferences should never be a condition of access.
The guidance behind the choices
TAP is working towards WCAG 2.2 AA, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. The site has not completed a documented independent audit and does not claim full conformance.
That benchmark guides checks on colour contrast, text resizing, keyboard operation, visible focus and layouts that fit a small screen. For TAP, this means checking that readers can reach controls, see where they are on the page and read without losing content when they enlarge it.
W3C’s guidance on cognitive and learning accessibility goes further than the WCAG requirements. It supports familiar words, clear headings, predictable controls and fewer distractions. It also calls for involving people with cognitive and learning disabilities in design and testing. Passing a technical check cannot establish whether a page is easy to understand.
The magazine layout is a design choice, not a proven intervention for ADHD or any other condition. Feedback from readers needs to shape what changes next.
Neurodivergence in policing
Neurodivergent people are among this website’s readers and the people doing policing research and practice. Their experiences should inform how that work is shared.
A 2023 study by Tromans and colleagues surveyed 117 UK police employees. Participants who identified as autistic or as having ADHD reported both strengths and difficulties at work, including requests for adjustments that were not always met. This was a self-selected sample, and the definitions included self-identification without a clinical diagnosis. It is not a prevalence estimate for the police workforce.
That study did not test this website or establish which page layout works best. It supports taking people’s reported needs seriously. The practical response here is to offer choices, explain them clearly and invite readers to say where the design falls short.
Read TAP’s analysis of cognitive diversity in policing →Tell me what gets in your way
If something is difficult to read or use, please tell me which page you were on and what happened. Your device, browser and any assistive technology you use can help me reproduce the problem. You do not need to share a diagnosis.
Checks need to cover keyboard use, screen readers, enlarged text, small screens and reduced movement, alongside feedback about how much effort reading takes. This page records the design intention; it is not a claim that every page has passed every check.
Help us improve the websiteOffer feedback, ideas and thoughts here.
Policy adopted 8 September 2026 · Updated 29 October 2026 · Next review March 2027